Fair trial fouled

Doug Clark’s column in Sunday’s paper (“Thompson judges are leaving out some very important truths about Otto Zehm”) really misses the point and totally contaminates the jury pool. Any fair trial, due to Clark’s relentless involvement in this case, will be impossible.

The Otto Zehm case was a tragedy. However, the event started with a report of robbery by two women who claimed to be victims. When confronted by the police, Zehm would not comply with commands and escalation of force took place. That is exactly what officer’s training demands.

No officer wants to kill anyone, and their training saves many people who could have been seriously wounded or killed. When confronted by an officer, follow their commands and you will avoid rough treatment.

The treatment received by Otto Zehm should not have killed him. It was a combination of factors that caused his death. When an officer goes into a situation like this he is totally in the dark about the suspect’s guilt or innocence and only knows what has been reported by dispatch. In my opinion the fault lies with the two women who gave a false report to start with.

Wayne Lythgoe

Colbert